It’s really frustrating when you don’t lose weight even after exercising rigorously. If working out, controlling your carb cravings, and making changes to your lifestyle is not enough to lose weight, then what is? It is in these moments of despair that 99% women give up on their weight loss agenda. After all, it’s better to relish the delish and be flabby than depriving yourself. But that’s a trap. And before you fall for it, take one last look at the real reasons you are not losing weight.
Not losing weight
1. You are carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders
Stress, anxiety, and depression can take a toll on your mental and physical health. All these negative emotions stimulate the secretion of cortisol, which then recruits all the fat receptors in your abdomen area, leading to central fat accumulation. Stress also causes a lot of toxin accumulation that can affect the cell functions. Easier said than done, but you must try and meditate regularly.
2. You’re not eating enough plant-based protein
Generally speaking, protein has benefits: it fills you up (which means you’ll eat less food over time) and also helps you build muscle, skin, and healthy bones. But when it comes to weight loss, not all protein is created equal. Dr. Weiner warns about over-consuming animal protein—and the fat that typically comes with it—because too much can lead to weight gain, and other health problems like diabetes.
3. Your cardio isn’t intense enough
Remember the info about quality and quantity of calories above? The same applies to exercise, focusing on intensity versus duration when you’re trying to lose weight by incorporating exercise.
4. You don’t drink enough water
We’ve all heard how important H2O is when it comes to shedding pounds. It helps to suppress appetite, so you’re less likely to overeat. But that’s not all: When you’re dehydrated, your kidneys can’t function properly, so the body turns to the liver for additional support. Because the liver is working so hard, more of the fat you consume is stored, rather than burned off.
5. Your hormones are going Berserk
Hormones play a very important role in a woman’s life. Hormones such as cortisol (released when you are stressed), ghrelin (hunger hormone), thyroid (hypothyroidism can lead to weight gain), insulin (too much insulin in the blood can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and diabetes), and leptin (too much leptin in the blood, and your brain is desensitized to food, and you keep eating) can wreak havoc on your health.
6. Underlying Medical Issues
Medical issues like thyroid problems, insulin resistance, PCOS, sleep apnea, Cushing’s syndrome, etc. can prevent weight loss. If you have been doing everything right but haven’t yet got a medical check-up done, do that right away. However, you have nothing to worry as most medical problems can be treated. Work with your physician, dietician, and trainer to help you lose weight the right way.
7. You Multitask When You Eat
Do you often watch TV, work on laptop, text, or chat while you are eating? If yes, you’ve got your problem! You should concentrate only on eating when you have your meal. It will give you a fair idea about how much you are eating, which will send a message to the brain that you are not hungry. When you do not look at what you are eating, you do not see how much you ate and end up consuming junk after an hour of having your meal.
If losing weight is an important goal then you should invest the necessary time needed to plan your workouts and your food. Keeping a food and exercise journal can be an important element to any weight loss regime, as we can sometime underestimate what we eat, exercise or how many calories we consume.